MEREDITH
[ 00:00:05 ] yeah welcome back portugal junkies hello there what's up we missed you it's been a whole week what have you been doing we've been doing a lot we have yeah we um i don't know if you guys remember if you haven't heard on our prior podcast but we have made a big decision and we are leaving porto for our next stop in this adventure journey and we're moving to tavira which is a little fishing village i say little i can say that every time it's not it's like what 25 000 people something like that it's not like tiny but we are moving to tavira and it is so dreamy and we are um kind of in this spot right now where we i want to hurry up and wait
MARK
[ 00:00:50 ] Yeah, but I need to do things here I want to get there now, but I really need to do things here.
MEREDITH
[ 00:00:55 ] Yeah, I mean it's not even the need, it's like it's 'we' want to enjoy these last few weeks of Porto in a way that is very intentional, yes, um while at the same time we're super excited and would literally move tomorrow, um so it's kind of a weird in-between right now, uh because of that. And I'm trying to like soak up Porto as much as I can and you know at the same time, you know planning in my head about our new place and what it's going to be like, I mean the big the big benefit is moving down there, we're not taking a lot other than whatever we can strap to our
MARK
[ 00:01:34 ] Backs, basically yeah, sure, and we've gotten really good at that, yeah.
MEREDITH
[ 00:01:39 ] I mean, talk about downsides, I really believe that, well, I gotta say, I think it's very egocentric for me to be like most people will do that when they move abroad because I know some people who don't like the 'we' we see on the forums all of the time where people are like, 'how do I get my money
MARK
[ 00:01:54 ] ', I don't know how to get my money here, how do I move all my furniture and I'm sitting there going, 'sell that if that's what you want to do that's fine maybe you've bought a house and it's vacant right and there's a reason behind doing that I know and like nostalgic things but we we didn't
MEREDITH
[ 00:02:09 ] Do that, we took.
MARK
[ 00:02:10 ] We didn't have very many things that were nostalgic, other than the things we could strap to our back, yeah.
MEREDITH
[ 00:02:16 ] And the things that were nostalgic, they're in a very special place at home; they are, but you know it's it's funny because you say we're we're moving to an apartment that's about the same size which is great, yeah. But it gives us so much more flexibility with the dog, which we're gonna talk about today as part two, yeah. We'll get there logistically getting your pet to Portugal as a follow-up to our last podcast, yeah. Um but yeah we we are very much like trying to take advantage of the last few weeks here in Porto.
MARK
[ 00:02:48 ] And do some things that we haven't done, that we were always talking about even before we got here or after we got here.
MEREDITH
[ 00:02:53 ] It's fun, it's funny how you can be here for like, we've been here for like nine months, yeah nine months because we moved here on December 1st and now we're in the first months where we've been completely rained out, so we really couldn't do as much as we might have thought we could. But um, I don't know, it just seems like there are so many things, there's like an urgency now of like, oh we haven't done that yet and we can't leave without doing this, and we've got pretty much every Friday between now and then packed out, you know. where we're going what we're doing what we're seeing it's our leaving porto bucket list yes and if you haven't checked us out on tiktok i'm starting that series uh well i started it last week but i'm excited because we're gonna like intentionally do some things that we might not have gotten to um if it not for you know leaving and moving and knowing that there's a limited amount of time left here as as as individuals who live here and i'm sure we will be back to visit yeah i'm so i love this city well that was the reason we came was this city after all the ones we saw but yeah anyway anyway so tune in on tiktok if you have not um for Our, you know, leaving Porto Bucket List series that we're going to be outlining and yeah it's going to be fun um so but what we're going to talk about today we're going to follow up our podcast from last week which was all about getting your pet to Portugal and really talking about like the requirements, like what do you have to actually do on u. s soil and what documentation do you have to have in your hand before you get here and then i thought well there's a whole other piece to this which is what everybody is probably most concerned about is logistically how do you get your pet yeah from there to here a to z a to b and so we thought we would talk about that today but also tell our story about getting our little girl charlotte here so if you have you're not aware she is she runs this house like she is the queen of the the queendom yeah just in case you can't see i didn't realize that he had that shirt on today i'm wearing a t-shirt that was bought for me this is best best boston terrier dad ever yes it's really cool and you are so she's a 15 pound boston she's tiny for her breed in the first place she was the runt of her litter and um she's just more like tall and lean and smaller than a normal kind of short stout boston that you usually see um and she's eight she Just turned eight last well, a couple of weeks ago, August 4th, and so I said in the prior podcast like if this didn't work out if if she wasn't able to get we weren't able to figure out our way around this hurdle of logistics and documentation, and knowing that we could get her here safely and in the way that we felt comfortable with. I mean, I was ready to scrap the plan that's how important she is and I would assume most people think about their pets as family, just an integral part of the family, yeah so it would have just not naturally altered our plans and it is the reason why we went back and forth so long don't you think that. Was the biggest thing we couldn't get our arms around, all of the logistics.
MARK
[ 00:06:29 ] How can I mean it's the physical how do you do yeah what you need to do yeah which I think you know that's the point of this one yeah especially talking about your options so right and so we're going to have we're going to tell our version of our story of how we got her here and it's not going to apply to every person out there because of breed or size or your comfort level of these options and so we're just going to kind of put out all of your options and give you some resources so that you can kind of think through that for yourself we're open to any questions.
MEREDITH
[ 00:07:04 ] If you need follow-up, I really hope that it generates more questions specific to what you need. So, first of all, the only option that I felt comfortable with honestly and Mark was getting her here via a plane in the cabin with us, and here's what we ran into with this: and this is what you might run into as well. She's a snub-nosed breed and if she was a typical Boston size, stout and and more, um, might not have made the weight limit or whatever, um, which I'll come back to the weight limit because that's iffy by airline, um, might not have ever been able to be in the cabin with us. Number one, but she also
MARK
[ 00:07:58 ] Might not have been able to even go in cargo because of the snub nose breed issue, so there's some airlines pretty much all airlines now that are not comfortable that will not fly with a snub nose in cargo hold right and they're just worried about uh issues with breathing being in the cargo you know all that other stuff I mean despite the fact that the the cargo hold is pressurized, there is a you know you've got to have a dog in a kennel of appropriate size um the area of the cargo hold is designated for live animals um so it's away from anything else so you know I'm not saying it's not viable to transport an animal in the hold because
MEREDITH
[ 00:08:42 ] It clearly is, it's just certainly a breed type prohibits it and this was just our experience so we're just talking about our experience but because she's small and because she's got a lot of experience, she's got a lot of. She's only 15 pounds and because she fit in this carrier size that they regulate and she could fit under the seat; she came with us from the U. So, Portugal was in the cabin with us and so she was with us every second of the flight which turned out to be many seconds. That was another story for another time because we got diverted because of a medical issue-not ours, but somebody on the plane had a an issue, and we had to basically go back to Canada for a while anyway. It wasn't the easiest of um flights, um, and but that that's not across the board; it just was our experience, right? And regardless of all of that, she was awesome, so I say she-I mean Charlotte, our little girl. So, anyway, pet in cabin, yeah, was our number one and kind of only we were only willing to do, that's just that and that's our personal opinion. I just it was really hard for me to think about her being in the cargo but she didn't even go in the cargo so it wasn't even an option for us. So when you're thinking about bringing your pet in cabin, what are the things that you have to meet? What are the requirements?
MARK
[ 00:10:14 ] Got to be, it was the depending on which airline you're going with, yeah, the actual um carrier size for your animal, in this case we're just really talking about dogs rather than cats, but specifically, um, you can only travel one person with one dog so one again, you've got one per one, so you've got some limitations in that if you've got a bigger um amount of furries um they have to be able to apparently stand, turn around, do circus tricks all while in their carrier, um, and, um, you know this is what you hear, this orgasm yeah it really is, this is one of the things that really got me, is that they put all of these expectations on your dog, in an.
MEREDITH
[ 00:11:00 ] Environment that is completely alien to them while in a carrier which they probably don't often if ever go into and then expect them to do like service tricks but here's the thing this is what is in the written if you go to let's just say United and Delta where the two that we know much of the equipment in the van is that we found were okay with in-cabin pets from U. S. to Lisbon or to Portugal. Those were the two that I'll mention because I didn't do research any further on those. So I think the disclaimer here is start there, do your research, otherwise with other carriers depending on where you are. But they basically had the same requirements, both of them. It was certain exclusions of certain breeds. It was exclusions of certain, like, if it was over a certain size, the carrier, you know, the dog or cat had to be in the carrier and be comfortable. But in the written print, it's like the dog needs to be able to stand up in the carrier, turn around and sit down comfortably.
MARK
[ 00:12:13 ] Without touching the sides.
MEREDITH
[ 00:12:14 ] You try to get a cat to do that.
MARK
[ 00:12:16 ] Right. This is my side. This is the sarcasm part of it because it's rules for rules' sake. They never asked you to do it. No, they never asked for it. I highly doubt that they do unless somebody's being a complete jobsworth. Jobsworth? Yeah, it's more than my job is worth to not do something. So if you're a jobsworth, like a – Oh, got it.
MEREDITH
[ 00:12:41 ] Kind of like a TSA person in the U. S.?
MARK
[ 00:12:44 ] Kind of like a TSA for sure.
MEREDITH
[ 00:12:48 ] By the way. TSA people in other countries don't act like the TSA people in the U. S. No. No. Okay. Move along.
MARK
[ 00:12:55 ] Yes, please. So, yeah, I mean, again, it's – it worked for us with her being in the cabin because she fit these requirements. Yes. They didn't ask her to do all the – The tricks. The tricks. Thank God. That they say they do. And it was the one thing. We were sitting in front of the counter. Checking her in. Checking her in. In Newark. And in Newark, they have a specific check-in counter for pets away from the general boarding – general check-ins. So that's really nice. It's a lot quieter. It's nice and big and open. It's really good. And she was – she was a dream. She asked a few questions. She was. We gave her all the paperwork, which you can cover in a second, which isn't that much. But, again, you've got it. You've got it available. You hand it over. And you just breathe a real heavy sigh of relief. When they give you the ticket. On your bag. They give you this green ticket. And they attach it to your carrier. And you can move on. And it's like, off you go. It's like, right on. It was the best feeling. And it was a case of, right, just keep walking. Just keep walking. Just keep walking. They're not going to come after us. It's not like a movie. It's true.
MEREDITH
[ 00:14:02 ] It's true because we had gone down a rabbit hole a hundred times, okay, well, if we're flying out and we're – you know, we live in Charlotte. We went to Newark because we had really done our research. And there's a lot of people there who say that, like, there is not a problem there. There's not a problem in the world getting a pet through here unless you are really trying to push the limits of what their regulations are. But we had a great experience there. But it was not for all of the nervousness of – I mean, I just literally – I was on – I was more anxious than I have ever been traveling, hands down. So I want to say that to anybody who's watching and going – And listening. And listening. Who is, you know, really struggling with this peak. Because it's so important to you and your family, and then going down the rabbit hole and catastrophizing, 'what if', 'what if', 'what if'. Right. I'm not going to say it's never going to happen that you get this really rogue, you know, gate agent or something who gives you a problem. Right. Yeah.
MARK
[ 00:15:06 ] But – I think by and large they want to accommodate where they can. I hope so. Unless it is blatantly obvious. Right. That you're trying to – That you're trying to take the piss.
MEREDITH
[ 00:15:15 ] Yes. So, pet and cabin is really the first option if your pet fits the breed, the size, all the guidelines. I will say, and I said I would come back to this. They – some people will reference a weight limit and some airlines don't. So, when we first started our research, it might have been other resources and not the direct airlines that we were like, oh, it has to be, you know, what is it, seven, eight, ten kilos or something. So, it's like there was a number somewhere that stuck in our brain. I think it was 16 pounds. Right. But they've never weighed her and on the airline websites, they never reference that either. Because essentially, if the dog fits under the seat, what does it matter how much they weigh? The logic for me. Now, again, I know that doesn't always apply. Right. So, again, check airlines. I would start with Delta and United Airlines. Because we've had experience with United only. So, I just know that Delta is very similar in terms of what they've written in terms of their guidelines for this. Yes. And also, we were on the East Coast trying to get to Portugal. So, it made sense. There were certain hubs that were very close to each other. So, we were trying to outline backup plans and all that other stuff. Yes. Yeah. But that's – and again, once you arrive, and this is – again, we'll come back to other options. But once we arrived in Lisbon, we went to baggage claim. There is a vet right there, a vet office right there at baggage claim. Yeah. We presented – well, our three documents that we went over in the prior podcast, which is the health certificate, the rabies certification, and the microchip certification. Yeah. But all of that should already be emailed to the vet. So, they-you might have to produce-I would have a physical-I would have them available, for sure. Physical copy in a folder, like a physical piece of paper. But you should have also already emailed the stuff over to the vet because they would be expecting you, right? Yeah. We had the best experience at that vet. She was all smiles. She was like-Yeah. She was really good. Typical furry pet lover. I mean, she did a quick health exam, which was basically like just making sure that the dog was okay. Yeah. Gave her treats.
MARK
[ 00:17:40 ] Made a bit of a fuss about it. Yeah.
MEREDITH
[ 00:17:42 ] You know, we tried to get her to pee on a puppy pad. That didn't work. Right. Our girl does not use puppy pads. She's too good for that. Anyway, there was all kinds of accommodations because they know that the pet has likely been on the flight for a while, right? Yeah. And she gave me a piece of paper basically signing off that she had done the health exam. She said, 'Keep that in your hand as you leave in case anybody stops you or wants to see the paperwork.' Yeah. But that was it. That was it. And then we walked the dog outside and she – Went to pee.
MARK
[ 00:18:13 ] Went to pee. And we were like breathing aside. We're leaving. We're like, 'Oh my God, we're here.' Now I'm going to get the car.
MEREDITH
[ 00:18:18 ] Right. So all of that is the process for in-cabin, which is probably the most simple actually because your pet's with you the whole time and you've got eyes on your pet and blah, blah, blah.
MARK
[ 00:18:32 ] One thing I would say, and it applies to this other one I would think as well, and that is just make sure you know where the pet relief station is. Where the pet relief stations are in the particular area or airport that you are traveling from and to. And to. But specifically from. Yeah, because we were in Newark. We were in Newark and the one that they had was, I mean, if you looked at the photo of it, you'd think, oh my God, that is fantastic. You know, it had the yellow water hydrant for American dogs. Red. Sorry, red. It had like turf grass. A sink. Quite spiky. A sink, a washing area. Paper towels. There was something in there as well that was – I'm sure it was more England-based, like what would make a – allow for a dog to think it was in – I can't recall now. But anyway, just a word to the wise, make sure you know where they are.
MEREDITH
[ 00:19:22 ] It's there. I mean, good luck, because our girl was like, I am not having this. So it's okay. She held on. She was good. She was great. It's me when it comes to her. She's more chill than you. That is the thing. She's a real stressor. That's me. Okay. Next one. Second piece, second option here. Your pet does not fit in the cabin. Right. So no under the seat for you. The dogs are bigger. The cats – why wouldn’t – a cat is likely going to fit, right? Yeah. But typically, if you have a dog that's bigger than a dog that would fit under the seat, you're going to have to do cargo in the same plane as you, which might be fine for some people. And this all has to come down to what you're comfortable with and what options you have, right? And so the cargo situation is, I think, very similar. I mean, you have to follow the guidelines on each airline site. You have to check them in at a different place. You likely say goodbye to them right at the gate.
MARK
[ 00:20:32 ] I think you've got to go to an area, drop them off in their kennel. Oh, after you check in? Yeah. Well, I think maybe before. Oh. So they go. You say goodbye. You go and check in. That's right. And then you find them when you land. Right. In the other place. So they're on the plane with you. They're just in a cargo hold. Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
MEREDITH
[ 00:20:50 ] And then when you arrive, you likely – I think it's usually an area away from baggage claims. So it might even be a different area on the airport-like location. Right. So you would grab your bags, all that jazz, and basically do the same process. You've got to go get the dog, go through customs.
MARK
[ 00:21:11 ] Have the health exam.
MEREDITH
[ 00:21:12 ] Have the health exam. Same deal. Yeah. And so I'm going to, again, refer you all back to the USDA website, and I will also link it for you here. But these are the key resources that will help you really get your arms around what process for you. It's possible. Right?
MARK
[ 00:21:32 ] And I think the benefit with the cargo, if you're at ease with it – shall we say, not that you prefer it, but at ease with it being the way – is that I'm not sure that there's as big a limit on how many dogs you can transport. Right. It may well be that there's only one dog per kennel, but I'm not sure what the stipulation is per airline. Right. How many kennel/ dog you can take at one time. Yeah. So you might have three – Three dogs and two adults or something. Right. Yeah. So again, every case is going to be different.
MEREDITH
[ 00:22:06 ] Yeah. Okay. I would say those are the top two options that most people use. Yeah. Right? To get their pet from the U. S. to Portugal. Yeah. Where you may run into trouble is kind of what we have, which is a certain breed that can't go in the cabin because they're too big, and a breed that can't go in the cargo because they are – Precluded for one reason or another.
MARK
[ 00:22:36 ] Right.
MEREDITH
[ 00:22:36 ] Precluded for one reason or another. So, for instance, the Bostons, the snub-nosed dogs who are, because of their breathing concerns, they won't take on the liability for it.
MARK
[ 00:22:45 ] Correct.
MEREDITH
[ 00:22:46 ] So, what do you do? I mean, what do you do? What do you do, babe?
MARK
[ 00:22:51 ] You do one of two things. Number one, you hire a private jet and get a group of your friends or friends-to-be to fly with you for 50 to $60,000.
MEREDITH
[ 00:23:01 ] Oh, come on.
MARK
[ 00:23:02 ] No, I mean, seriously. Oh, with your friends.
MEREDITH
[ 00:23:03 ] That's the whole – I'm like, I get your sarcasm, but you're a little bit going overboard.
MARK
[ 00:23:08 ] I think, on average, if you wanted to fly per person with animal, I think each person needs about $8,000 to $10,000, depending. Yeah, one person, one pet. One pet.
MEREDITH
[ 00:23:20 ] And this is, again, private jet, basically. We actually looked into this scarily. We were like, oh, my God. I mean, we can't even eat when we get there, so, you know, we'll be broke. But it is an option. For sure. Like, for instance, canine jets. Yeah. Right? You can look at them. We've researched them as well. There's others all around. There's others as well. And you'll see on some of the forums, like the Facebook groups, where it's like, people are starting to, like, crowdsource and say, 'Hey, we're trying to put together a private jet in February to go from Newark to – Pittsburgh to – Right.
MARK
[ 00:23:58 ] To wherever. To wherever.
MEREDITH
[ 00:23:59 ] And that way, you're trying to find people, like-minded or in the same situation who are trying to get their pets over there.
MARK
[ 00:24:06 ] And if you've got some flexibility in terms of timing, it could be the right thing for you.
MEREDITH
[ 00:24:11 ] Right. You really could. And money.
MARK
[ 00:24:13 ] Yeah.
MEREDITH
[ 00:24:13 ] I mean, you can achieve anything if you have money.
MARK
[ 00:24:16 ] So, whatever.
MEREDITH
[ 00:24:18 ] But that is an option. And we joke about it. And I know that people scoff, but it is an option for certain people who are at that point in life. They have the funds to do it. That's how they want to get their pet every year. It is an option. Crack on.
SPEAKER_2
[ 00:24:30 ] Nope.
MEREDITH
[ 00:24:31 ] So, that again, I would say caninejet. com is probably the first place I would go. And then maybe look at some others. I think that the con to this – and we really kind of wanted to talk about pros and cons of all of this. But, like, the con is the money. The con is also, for the private jet situation, is that they're rare. The flights are, like, you know, maybe one a month on the track that you're looking for. Like, if you're looking for something into Lisbon from the East Coast, it might be once a month or less. So, it takes more – flexibility. Yeah. Flexibility of the calendar and, like, all that stuff. Not to mention, again, I'll go back to the con of it being about 10 grand. Yeah. Which I remember looking into this and going, this cannot be. This cannot be the way that we have to get her there.
MARK
[ 00:25:26 ] If it is – If it was going to be the way, it was going to be you with the dog on a private jet and me and – Right.
MEREDITH
[ 00:25:31 ] You couldn't even – that doesn't even pick both of us together.
MARK
[ 00:25:33 ] On a different – like, on a regular schedule flight. Yeah. Yeah. And that's fine if that's what it was. But, you know, fortunately, it wasn't. So – Yeah. Yeah. Private jet is another option. Very viable.
MEREDITH
[ 00:25:44 ] But, I mean, from pictures and, like, reports that I've seen, it's super nice. Yeah. I mean, hey.
MARK
[ 00:25:50 ] I think the dogs don't even stay in there.
MEREDITH
[ 00:25:52 ] No, they can sit with you in the seat, sit on your lap in the seat. There's no rules, no rules. They're just like, party. Here's the other one, though. We haven't – there's another one. Mm-hmm. If you don't want to pay $10,000, I don't know. I don't know what the pricing of this one, though, is.
MARK
[ 00:26:06 ] I think the price – so, pet transportation, where you – I think – It's like a courier. Yeah. Or a – Ultimately, you'll – the one I read was you would drive to somewhere just outside of Atlanta. You'd drop the dog off with this particular company. You'd say goodbye. You'd then go to get your flight. They would organize the flight with your dog. And the next time you would see it would be at the facility, wherever they were flying it to.
MEREDITH
[ 00:26:36 ] Now, but they're personally accompanied by someone. Are you hiring someone?
MARK
[ 00:26:40 ] You're hiring a company to do everything for you. I don't know how personal they are accompanied. Right. Right. I think it's a very similar situation to cargo hold. But I think it's more of a – More catered. Concierge service. Yeah. I mean, it's definitely a concierge service. Concierge service. Right. I think when we looked into it originally, I think it was around about $4,000-ish, something like that. And that was sort of into Lisbon from East Coast. I would-There's a lot of just different pet transport companies out there. And I hear they do a fantastic job. I also hear some other stories as well.
MEREDITH
[ 00:27:20 ] Well, I think, too, you have to think about it. Right? Like, the airlines are not pet people. Right? No. But a pet transportation company – You would expect to be. You would expect them to be very much in tuned with a pet owner who is very worried about getting their dog safely. Right? Across the ocean. So, I think that's the pro and con for me, is that the airlines – and I'm not saying that they don't care. I'm just saying that a pet transportation company – Right. – is probably rooted in, you know, making sure that they are addressing the concerns of a worried pet owner. Yes. Right? And doing things that help mitigate those things. Yeah. Whereas the airline, you know, they're just trying to get things from A to B. And I don't know.
MARK
[ 00:28:17 ] I'm not trying to discourage. It's a different – Right.
MEREDITH
[ 00:28:20 ] It's a different – And that's probably why you're paying more. Exactly. That's probably why you would benefit from paying more for this service if it really, you know, scares you.
SPEAKER_3
[ 00:28:30 ] Yeah.
MEREDITH
[ 00:28:30 ] And I – again, I want to come back and say, like, everybody's tolerance for this is different. And so, you know, I sit here and I share our experience and what we were willing and not willing to do or what made us nervous. But at the same time, this might not be worrisome for you at all. And that's okay. I also say that you've got different dogs who travel differently.
SPEAKER_2
[ 00:28:56 ] Yeah. We are very lucky. We are very lucky. Our girl – so, I think that'll be an interesting conversation, yeah.
MARK
[ 00:39:31 ] It's gonna be quite fun, yeah, a lot of fun, yeah.
MEREDITH
[ 00:39:34 ] Excellent, thanks guys very much, we appreciate you listening. And, um, listen. Subscribe, rate us. We are trying to reach as many people like-minded love of potentially Portugal, absolutely moving abroad and people here wanting to travel in Portugal. Mark is doing itineraries for people here and it's just been, it's been awesome. We've got our fingers in a lot of different things, so yeah, it's a lot of fun, yeah, a lot of fun, awesome. Thanks guys, take care, see you next time, bye. Listen up, future expats, for more content about our move, the visa process, Portuguese culture and destinations, and tons of support resources for your own decisions and potential move abroad.
MARK
[ 00:40:21 ] Follow us on Instagram and TikTok at Portugal Junkies, stay in touch and help us reach more people by subscribing here and following us there.
MEREDITH
[ 00:40:31 ] cheers y'all